Firearm.



R. A. MOORE.

FIREARM.

APPLICATION FILED AuG.I6. I9I 5.

Patented J une 12, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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sArEs rAEr Onno ROBERT A. MOORE, OE NEW YORK, N. Y., AssreNoR 'ro THE MOORE RIELE AND ARMs COMPANY, INC., OE NEW YORK, N. Y.

FIREARM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Julie 12, 1917.

Application Ied August 16, 1915. Serial No. 45,780.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT A. MOORE, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Firearms, of which the following isa specification.

This invention comprises an improved firearm especially adapted for use as an army service riiie or gun and a primary Object of the invention has been to provide a breech loading weapon of the type employing a rearwardly sliding bolt action wherein a minimum number of parts is employed thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the firearm, said parts being furthermore constructed as simply` as practicable conducive to obtaining requisite freedom of movement and coperation.

Among other obj ects of the present invention are to produce a breech loading gun of the class referred toadapted for hand loading or automatic loading from a suitable magazine provided adjacent to the breech cylinder and having associated with the breech bolt peculiar stop means by which the movement of said bolt is limited to one extent for hand loading Operation of the weapon, and to a different extent when the shells or cartridges are to be fed into the barrel from the said magazine; to provide a special form of safety lock for the axial ring pin with which the breech bolt is equipped; andto additionally provide cam actuating and locking devices intermediate the handle or operating lever of the bolt and the firing pin whereby a predetermined adjustment of said handle or lever will result in an adjustment of the firing pin to a retracted position rendering it inoperative for the time being to explode a shell or car-- tridge7 and to lock said lever for maintaining such adjustment of the firing pin.

The accomplishment of the Object last referred to above affords a safety means for preventing accidental or unauthorized firing of the weapon designed to be employed particularly incident to the carrying of the rearm under conditions when immediate use of the same is more or less remote, the adjustment of the parts, however, being such that by convenient and quick movement of the bolt lever or handle the weapon may be cocked and subsequently fired in the customary manner without the slightest difficulty or loss of time.

The improvements of this invention. also involve other details of construction the form and advantages of which will be more fully pointed out as this description proceeds, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view showing particularly the breech mechanism of a firearm constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken transversely through the breech mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the breech bolt and attached parts alone.

Fig. t is a top plan view of a firearm, partially broken away so as4 to show only the essential members of the breech mechanism. Fig. '5 is a sectional view taken approximately on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is an end view of the rear end member of the iring pin.

Fig. 7 is a rear end view of the locking sleeve and handle of the breech bolt, this figure and Fig. 6 showing clearly the cam and lock means intermediate the locking sleeve and the handle member of the firing pin.

Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view of one of the stops or plungers.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary vsectional view showing the safety cock catch in operative position.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary sectional View bringing out somewhat more clearly the interlocking means intermediate the handle and the rear end member of the firing pin.

Setting forth in detail the speciic construction of firearm embodying the essential improvements of this invention, A in the drawings denotes the barrel of the gun or rifle, B the stock and C the breech mechanism. The breech mechanism is in certain respects similar to the corresponding mechanism of firearms of the type employing a rearwardly sliding breech bolt equipped with an axial firing pin directly controlled from the trigger of the gun. The breech cylinder 1 is provided with a usual customary cartridge or shell entering slot 2 at its upper portion and beneath the same is located the magazine 3 having therein the spring follower 4 and adapted to receive a clip carrying a suitable number of shells or cartridges susceptible of being fed auto- Inatically to the barrel A through the operation of the sliding bolt 5 in the well known manner.

The bolt 5 is of peculiar construction, seen best in Fig. 3, said bolt being provided with an axially movable iiring pin 6 formed with a shoulder 6 intermediate its ends against which shoulder bears one end of the coiled spring 7 arranged in the bolt 5, the other end of` the spring being seated against a sleeve 8 screwed into the rear extremity of the bolt and having mounted thereon the semi-rotative lever or handle 9, the latter projecting from the locking sleeve 10 and being preferably integral with the latter. The locking sleeve is formed with interrupted threads 10 and at its rear end the breech cylinder 1 is likewise formed with interrupted threads 1 to match those of the locking sleeve 10, the said interrupted threads cooperating in the manner well known in this art so that by forward movement of the bolt 5 carrying a cartridge into the barrel A, and downward movement of the bolt handle 9, saidbolt will be locked in the position for firing of the gun, adapted to resist the explosive pressures incident to such operation. Likewise by upward movement of the handle 9 and rearward movement of the bolt 5 the interrupted threads 10 will be released from the corresponding matching threads 1 owing to the withdrawal of the bolt 5 to its rearward position in the operation of preparing to feed a fresh cartridge to the barrel A.

The handle 9 is carried directly by the sleeve 8 and as seen in Fig. 2 is adapted for partial rotation on the sleeve 8 only owing to the provision of the pin and slot connection 11--11a intermediate the parts 8 and 10. Rotation of the firing pin 6, its rear end member 12, and the bolt 5, is prevented by means now to be described.

In one side of the bolt 5 (see Figs. 3 and 5) is formed a longitudinal recess or kei-f 18 extending almost the entire length of the bolt. On the side of the breech cylinder adjacent to the recess 13 of the bolt 5 are disposed a pair of stops 14 in the form of plungers, each plunger having an engaging head 14 adapted to enter the recess 13 and being formed intermediate its ends with an actuating projection 14. The projections 14 of the stops 14 enter spiral cam grooves 15 in a rotative member 16 disposed between the stops, a finger piece or lever 17 being attached to the rotative member 16 by means of a screw or similar fastening. The arrangement of the grooves 15 of the member 16 is such that when the parts are adjusted as seen in Fig. 5 the foremost of the stops 14 is projected into the recess or kerf 13 of the bolt 5 and the rearward movement of the bolt 5 for cartridge ejection and loading operation is limited by the foremost stop 14. The limitation of the movement of the bolt 5 by the foremost stop 14 is such that said bolt will be withdrawn incident to its rearward movement sufficiently to permit of introducing a fresh cartridge by hand through the slot2 of the cylinder 1 but such movement of the bolt 5 is not suHicient to permit of the automatic feeding of a fresh cartridge to the cylinder 1 from the magazine 3. It will therefore be understood that the foregoing described adjustment is that employed for hand loading of the firearm.

On the other hand, if the finger piece or lever 17 is thrown over to a positionA opposite that illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 the foremost stop 14 will be withdrawn from the kerf 13 and the rearmost stop 14 projected into said kerf or recess. VSuch adjustment permits of a greater amount of rearward movement of the bolt 5 than permitted when the foremost stop 14 cooperates with the bolt and the additional movement of the bolt is sufficient to disengage its front end from above the cartridges in the magazine 3, whereupon the follower 4 is capable of automatically feeding a fresh cartridge to the breech cylinder to bev fed forward to the barrel A when theV bolt 5 slides forward in its loading action.

There is still another adjustment of the stops 14 obtainable and this is produced by raising the linger piece 17 into a vertical position. This done the stops 14 are adjusted to what may be termed neutral, positions, that is to say, both ofsaid stops are withdrawn from the recess or kerf 13 and it is then possible to entirely detach the bolt 5 from the associated breech mechanism by raising the handle 9 of course and moving said bolt rearward Vuntil completely withdrawn from the breech cylinder.-

At the front end of the recess or kerf 13 is disposed the cartridge ejector 18, the same consisting of a small slide having at its rear end a head engageable with either one of the stops 14 according to which is rendered operative, and movable by such engagement a slight distance in Va seat 19 provided in the side of the bolt 5, whereby the outer end of the ejector by impingement with the rim of the cartridge 20 will throwV said cartridge laterally through the open side of the breech cylinder 1 incident to the rearward movement of the bolt 5. The bolt 5 is equipped with the usual extractor 21 necessary to insure the proper operation'of the ejector 18 as above` described.

Reverting now to the arrangementv of the firing pin 6, and bearing in mind that the same is mounted axially within the bolt 5, in order to prevent rotation of the firing pin it is preferably formed with the fiat firing pin 6 other than that incident to its operation by means of the handle 9 of the bolt 5. On the end member 12 is disposed the safety catch 22 pivoted at 23 and adapted to be moved into a vertical position to bring its front end into engagement with the rear end of the sleeve S. This may be done, only after the firing pin 12 is grasped and pulled rearward sufliciently to permit the front end of the catch 22 to turn to a position engaging the rear extremity of said sleeve 8. The said front end of the catch 22 is beveled off so that when once this catch is engaged with the sleeve S to hold 'the firing pin 6 withdrawn rearwardly beyond the position in which it may be held by the trigger catch 24, seen in Fig. 1, a mere rearward pull on the catch 22 will carry it upward and release the firing pin so that the latter may assume its ordinary cocked position in which it is shown in Fig. 1. The catch 22 simply affords a safety cock for the weapon and is advantageously employed under the usual conditions requiring use of the safety cock principle.

The trigger mechanism of the firearm may be of any conventional type, this not being material to the invention. The trigger is designated 25 and has a projection 25 coacting with the trigger catch 24 previously referred to. The catch 24 projects upward, is actuated by a spring 26, and is engageable with the projection 27 formed at the lowermost portion of the end member 12 of the firing pin.

Describing generally the operation of the firearm, and assuming that the parts are adjusted as shown in Fig. 1, if a cartridge has been positioned in the barrel A through the operation of the bolt5, the pull on the trigger 25 will depress the trigger catch 24 disengaging Ythe same from the projection 27 and releasing the member 12 so as to permit the ring pin 6, now subject to the tension of the spring 7, to be propelled forward by the spring for cooperation with the cartridge in the customary manner. Re'- loading of the firearm may be readily accomplished by raising the handle 9 until it is above the locking lug 28 on the cylinder 1, thus releasing the interrupted threads 1 and 10 from operative engagement. Thereupon the handle 9 will be drawn rearward until the movement of the bolt 5 is stopped by the foremost pin 14. A fresh cartridge may then be placed in the breech cylinder;

the movement of the handle 9 is reversed and the bolt 5 carried forward to feed the cartridge 20 to the barrel A. As the handle 9 approaches the forward limit of its movement the projection 27 of the end member 12 of the firing pin 6 is engaged by the trigger catch 24E preventing further movement of the ring pin but permitting the nal movement forward of the handle 9 and breech bolt to drive the fresh cartridge home into the barrel. After which the handle 9 is turned down behind the lug 28 in the usual manner and the weapon may be fired by pulling the trigger. lf the gun is to be automatically loa ed the operator will merely reverse thev position of the finger piece or lever 17 to permit the additional rearward movement of the bolt 6 allowed by cooperation of the rear stop 14: therewith, in the manner previously set forth. The member 17 has a small spring pressed lock pin 17 adapted to engage in either one of two seats 17 in the adjacent side of the cylinder 1 whereby to prevent accidental displacement of the member 17 from either of its extreme positions.

Reference has been made to the provision of cam and lock devices intermediate the handle 9 and the firing pin whereby an abnormal adjustment of the handle is susceptible of holding the firing pin in an inoperative position. The cam and lock means are best shown in Figs. 1, 6, 7 and 10 and consist in providing a locking lug 29 on the front portion of the end piece 12, a cam 29 extending from the flat front surface of said member 12 to the flat front surface of the lug 29; also in providing on the rear side of the locking sleeve 10 the cam 30 and the locking recess 31. These parts coperate in such a manner that by raising the handle 9 from its down position when the parts are in the positions shown in full lines in Fig. 4, the cam 30 will coperate with the cam 29 on the member 12 to force said member 12 rearward very slightly, sufficiently however to withdraw the slightly projecting forward extremity of the firing pin 6 into the bolt 5. Immediately such withdrawal is accomplished by the action of the cams 30 and 29', the locking recess 31 engages the side a of the locking projection 29 and locks the lever 9 from any accidental downward movement. Under these conditions the firing pin 6 is positioned to avoid all liability of accidental ring of the weapon assuming that a fresh cartridge is in the barrel A just in advance of said firing pin.

In order to cock the weapon after the lever 9 has been set in the safety position above described, it is necessary to force the handle 9 rearward with the firing pin 8 a suflicient distance to cause the trigger catch 24 to engage the projection 27, whereupon the Vso handle V9 may be reversed to return the bolt 5 to its operative position and then the handle will be thrown downward behind the lug 2S toi lock the vbolt for firing of the gun. The projection 27 on the end member 20 of the firing pin operates through a groove .L Vin the stock of the gun and is held in registration with said groove owing to the prevention of rotation of the ring pin through the means previously described.

I/Vhile it isV contemplated to employ the general construction of parts as hereinbeforedescribed, it is to be understood that within the purview of the invention I may modify the details of construction of my invention in accordance with the spirit of the same and the scope of the claims hereto appended. Having thus 'described the invention, what is claimed'is:

l. In a iirearm, breech mechanism including a breech cylinder and a breech bolt adapted for movement in said cylinder and stop mechanism coperativewith said breech bolt to variably limit the movement of the Copies of this patent may be obtained for adapted for movement in said cylinder and stop mechanism cooperative withsaidbreech bolt to variably limit the movement of the c latter and including a pair of stops `mounted on the cylinder at right angles tothe breech boltand movable into and out of engagement with respect to the latter, and actuating means for the stops consisting of a rotative member parallel with andv located between the stops, said member being formed with cam grooves, and the stops having projections entering the cam grooves whereby the stops will be shifted longitudinally in respect to the rotative member as an incident to rotation of the latter.

3. In a firearm, breech mechanism including a breech cylinder and a breech bolt adapted for movement in said cylinder and stop mechanism cooperative with said breech bolt to variably limit the movement ofthe latter and including a pair of stops mounted on the cylinder at right angles to the breech bolt and movable into and out of engagement with respect to the latter, actuat-` ing means for said stops including a rotavtive member intermediate the stops and interlocking with the latter in such a ma`nner as to shift the stops in opposite directions as an incident to movement of Vsaid rotative member, anda finger piececonnected with said rotative member at its outer end and located exterior to the breech cylinder, and yieldable detent means intermediate said finger piece and the breech cylinder.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature.

ROBERT MOORE.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patems: Washington, D. Cif 

